PWO's New Serbian Car-Parts Plant Plans 550 Jobs by 2033

Workers in central Serbia can apply for factory and office jobs at a new plant in Čačak. The PWO Group, a German maker of lightweight metal car parts, runs a new plant in Čačak, and the European Investment Bank is lending €15 million, about $17.1 million at the European Central Bank reference rate of $1.1367 per euro on 24 September 2026, for the machinery inside it. The investment is projected to create 550 jobs by 2033, and the Serbian unit already has five openings in Čačak. At Metaintro we read expansion news against the employer's own job ads, and here the plant's live listings, its application rules and Serbia's official pay data tell a job seeker far more than the loan headline does. Below is what the plant makes, which jobs are open, what they ask for and how to apply.

How Many Jobs Is the Čačak Plant Expected to Create, and by When?

The lender's figure is up to 550 jobs, with the investment projected to reach that number by 2033. That is the figure the lender attaches to the project it is financing, and it is a projection, not a count of people already on the payroll.

The plant has a total investment value of €31 million (about $35.2 million at the European Central Bank reference rate of $1.1367 per euro on 24 September 2026), made up of the €15 million (about $17.1 million) loan, €12 million (about $13.6 million) from PWO itself and €4 million (about $4.5 million) from the Serbian government. It is also PWO's first financing from an international financial institution.

Earlier statements gave different figures for the site. When the plant opened in July 2025, Serbia's state development agency described more than 800 jobs planned in three phases and a potential expansion of the production space. PWO's own opening release at the time expected more than 500 new local jobs. The lender's figure, which is tied to the loan it is making, is that the investment is projected to create 550 jobs by 2033.

What Does the Plant Make, and Why Does That Matter for Your Work?

The factory covers 16,500 square metres and makes advanced lightweight components for the car industry, including parts for electrified vehicles. The project uses advanced manufacturing technologies for cold-formed metal components, and the EIB loan covers the plant's machinery.

PWO describes its products as parts found in almost every car. PWO's chief executive, at the plant's 2024 groundbreaking, listed seats, air suspensions, housings for electric motors, instrument panels, chassis parts and batteries as places its parts end up. The open ads below show what that means in practice, with maintenance, grinding and tool work on the shop floor.

The site sits in the Preljina industrial zone near Čačak, and it pairs with PWO's tool engineering and production site in nearby Kragujevac. PWO describes the two sites together as a high-performance engineering and production network in Eastern Europe. Production was scheduled to commence at the end of 2025, and in its first half of 2026 the group focused its capital spending on the further development of the Serbia site, alongside expansions in the Czech Republic.

"We are creating new jobs and building new capabilities in Europe, and the EIB’s support allows us to build this capacity faster and more efficiently," in the words of PWO's chief executive in the European Investment Bank release.

Which PWO Jobs in Čačak Are Open Right Now?

PWO advertises vacancies on a local online job portal, and its current ads are on the Poslovi Infostud job portal. In late September, the Serbian unit, PWO SEE, had five openings, all in Čačak.

• Industrial maintenance mechanic (Mehaničar industrijskog održavanja).
• Surface grinder (Metalo-brusač), a machining role that works alongside production and the tool shop.
• IT administrator for identity, automation and the digital workplace, listed as hybrid.
• Sales assistant, listed as hybrid.
• Sales planner, listed in Čačak.

The dates shown on these listings run from 24 September to 7 October 2026, so they will not stay up long. PWO's careers page promises that filled jobs are immediately removed from the ads, so what you see should be what is actually open.

Engineering jobs come and go too. An earlier ad for a Supplier Quality and Development Engineer in Čačak has now expired, but it shows what one engineering role asked for. That supplier quality engineer ad asked for a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, supplier audits to the VDA 6.3 standard, familiarity with IATF 16949, experience approving PPAP documents, problem solving methods such as 8D and 5Why, and SAP skills.

What Do Mechanics and Grinders Need to Get Hired?

The shop floor roles ask for vocational training and hands-on experience, and neither the mechanic ad nor the grinder ad mentions a degree. The maintenance mechanic listing asks for III or IV level vocational education, plus experience maintaining machines and mechanical systems.

The day to day work in that listing is detailed. In the mechanic listing, workers inspect and maintain equipment, diagnose and fix faults, build spare and temporary parts from technical drawings, help install and commission new machines and take part in FMEA analyses and project planning. The same listing also includes on-call duty in line with an intervention plan. Knowledge of hydraulic and pneumatic systems, reading technical drawings and MS Office are all on the mechanic's profile.

The grinder listing sets a specific machine requirement. It requires III or IV level technical schooling in mechanical engineering or a related field, and experience working independently on surface grinding machines is mandatory. In the same grinder ad, cylindrical grinding experience is desirable, lathe work is a plus, and candidates who know welding are preferred. The grinder's job covers making and maintaining tools and machine parts to prescribed tolerances and checking finished parts with measuring instruments.

If you are building toward roles like these, our guide to machinist certification and advancing a manufacturing career explains which credentials actually move an application forward.

What About IT, Engineering and Shared Service Centre Jobs?

The plant is not only a factory. It also hosts a Shared Service Centre supporting PWO Group’s European operations. At the opening in July 2025, that centre had a staff of 25 supporting the other European sites, primarily those in Germany, with tasks ranging from administration through purchasing to IT services.

The shared service centre supports PWO's other European sites from Čačak. The current IT administrator ad also has a group-wide reach, since the role collaborates with global IT teams and asks for strong experience with Microsoft Entra ID and Active Directory, advanced PowerShell scripting, software packaging with SCCM, Intune and Nerdio, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Windows Server with virtualization such as VMware and Proxmox.

Distance is less of a barrier for these roles. PWO offers virtual initial interviews via Teams to applicants who would need to travel a long way, particularly for roles in the shared service centre. Applicants from other Serbian cities who would face a long trip can ask about a Teams first interview.

What Does a PWO Job in Serbia Pay, and What Leave Do You Get?

The mechanic, grinder and IT administrator ads print no wage. The mechanic and grinder ads offer a competitive financial package, a family benefits package and room for advancement and training, and the careers page describes pay that is regularly adjusted to market developments, with rewards for special achievements and vacation allowances.

Official data gives you a yardstick for any offer. The national average net wage for June 2026 was 120 401 dinars, about $1,166 at the Wise mid-market rate of 0.009684 US dollars per dinar checked the same day, and the median net wage was 94 281 dinars, about $913 a month, meaning half of all employees earned up to that amount. Average net pay in the first half of 2026 was up 11.5% in nominal terms on a year earlier.

The legal floor is lower. Serbia's minimum wage for 2026 is RSD 371 (about $3.59) for each working hour, which works out to RSD 64,554, or €551, a month (about $625), excluding taxes and contributions. Knowing both numbers helps you judge where a factory offer sits between the floor and the national middle.

Leave is where PWO is clearest. Its careers page promises 25 days of leave a year, and the shop floor listings offer 25 or more. Serbian labour law sets a legal minimum of 20 working days, increased for factors such as work contribution, working conditions, experience and qualifications, so PWO's offer sits above the floor.

How Does the PWO Hiring Process Work, Step by Step?

The company sets out seven steps on its careers page, from job ad to onboarding. Ads are placed on a local online job portal and linked to the company's social channels, and PWO also recruits through employee referrals, career fairs and local outdoor advertising.

After HR pre-selects candidates, the first interview is generally held on site in Čačak. The second interview includes a case study so candidates can show their professional skills, and extra checks depend on the level of the role.

• Director and top executive roles face background checks.
• Department head roles go through the Harrison Assessment.
• Important roles without management duties may include a personality test.

Paperwork is simple but specific. PWO asks for a résumé with your professional experience, current relevant school reports or work references, and any training certificates you hold. Applications go through the career portal, you get an automatic confirmation, and if you hear nothing within two weeks the company invites you to contact it. Unsolicited applications are welcome through the same portal.

Preparing for the case study is worth the effort, since PWO uses it to let candidates demonstrate their professional skills. Our job interview tips that get you past the first round cover how to structure answers under pressure.

"Investment in advanced manufacturing, innovation and quality jobs is key to Serbia’s sustainable economic growth and its closer integration with the European Union," in the words of the EU's deputy head of delegation to Serbia, from the European Investment Bank release.

Is There a Way In for Students and Apprentices?

Yes, and it is one of the more useful parts of the careers page. PWO offers one-month internships during your studies, long-term career programs and a dual education program that combines an apprenticeship with vocational schooling. Applications for apprenticeship and work-study places are open all year, but the company recommends applying early because places can go quickly.

Grades count. On the careers page, grades, particularly in relevant subjects, will play an important role in an apprenticeship or study application, alongside the person's talents and potential.

Local schools are part of the plan. At the July 2025 opening, Serbia's development agency tied the plant's hiring plan to partnerships with local educational institutions, especially the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Čačak. At the 2024 groundbreaking, Serbia's president tied the investment to young people from the Mechanical-Traffic School and the Technical Faculty in the town. For a student in Čačak, PWO's internships and dual education program are one way to get to know a local employer.

How Solid Is the Expansion Given PWO's Wider Results?

PWO's first half of 2026 brought lower revenue alongside new business wins. Revenue fell to EUR 252.7m (about $287.2 million) from EUR 273.4m (about $310.8 million), which the company puts down to lower tool revenue and currency effects, while series business was slightly above the prior year on an adjusted basis. Consolidated net income dropped to EUR 0.1m (about $114,000) from EUR 5.4m (about $6.1 million) a year earlier.

There are also signs of growth. The group won new business with a lifetime volume of approximately EUR 363m (about $412.6 million) in the half year and confirmed its full-year forecast, except for capital spending. That spending target was adjusted to around EUR 35m (about $39.8 million) because the timing of individual investment projects was postponed, and the release does not name the projects.

The same half-year results mention provisions for restructuring measures at the Oberkirch site in Germany, where the group is based, and the chief executive describes conditions in Germany as making production and development increasingly uneconomical. In the loan release, the chief executive says Serbia is becoming a significant pillar of our European operations and points out that key customers have major operations in Serbia and neighbouring countries.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this is a steady, local-for-local build, not a hiring boom, and that suits skilled workers in central Serbia well. The projection of 550 jobs by 2033 means openings are likely to appear over time, so it pays to apply when a matching ad appears.

PWO has placed administration, purchasing and IT support for its European sites in Čačak, which gives Serbian office specialists a way into group-wide roles at home. The three hiring phases described in 2025 were announced as plans. For mechanics, grinders and toolmakers, the current shop floor ads are the most direct way in.

Here is what we would do:

• Apply to the open ads now. The current listings carry dates between 24 September and 7 October, and filled jobs come down straight away.
• Match the exact skills. For shop floor roles, lead with named machines, hydraulics, pneumatics and drawing reading. For engineering, lead with the VDA 6.3, IATF 16949 and PPAP skills that the earlier engineer ad asked for.
• Use the remote first round. If you live far from Čačak, especially for a shared service centre role, ask about the Teams first interview.
• Benchmark any offer. Compare it with the national median and average net wage before you accept.
• Send an unsolicited application. PWO welcomes unsolicited applications through its career portal and asks you to state the areas you are interested in.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs will the PWO plant in Čačak create?

A: The investment is projected to create 550 jobs by 2033, according to the European Investment Bank, which is lending €15 million toward the plant.

Q: Do you need a degree to work at PWO in Serbia?

A: Not for every role. The maintenance mechanic and grinder ads ask for III or IV level vocational education and hands-on experience and do not mention a degree, while an earlier supplier quality engineer ad asked for a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering.

Q: How do you apply for a job at PWO Serbia?

A: Apply through PWO's career portal. The company advertises vacancies on a local online job portal, and its current ads are on the Poslovi Infostud job portal. The PWO Serbia careers page asks for a résumé, school reports or work references and any certificates, and the first interview is usually held on site in Čačak.

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